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Chileans Are Like Snails

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July 18, 2008

I’ve never been to New York City, but I hear that the pace of life there is insane. People walk so quickly that if you don’t keep up you better get out of the way. I always dreamed of living in a paradise like that. I’ve forever been a speed walker. When traveling in groups I usually end up blocks ahead, having to stop and sigh impatiently as I wait for people to catch up with me. S. is constantly asking me to slow down because he hates walking fast.

Since Santiago is also a booming metropolis I kind of expected the street speeds to be similar to N.Y.C. but boy was I wrong!

Santiaguinos do not speed walk. In fact, they barely even walk. I would consider what they do more like meandering or lallygagging than the act of walking.

The pace of this city is a snail’s — and probably an ill and dying and barely able to move snail at that.

One of the biggest causes of the aforementioned slowness seems to be the Chilean women’s desire to wear heels at all times, at all ages. I mean, we are talking women who are at least 180 years old shuffling their feet across the street in four inch heels. And those who are forced to wear comfortable footwear, or any kind of geriatric podiatry support on the feet, do so in the form of platform tennis shoes. Flats haven’t caught on. You’ll see the occasional ballet slipper or maybe even gladiator sandals on the rare fashionista in this country, but they’re few and far in between.

I don’t want to get too deep into this, but women here dress pretty provocatively — cleavage baring shirts, and pants that are so tight they cause both muffin top and camel toe are the norm. While I totally agree that people in the U.S. are totally over sexualized, it cracks me up when Chileans make comments on how bad that phenomenon is in the U.S. as if they were somehow immune to it. Umm, have you looked around the streets of Santiago lately?!?

So anyways, clubwear as officewear, as my friend Emily has commented on numerous occasions, is totally acceptable. That means, throw on your lacy/satiny/tiny tank and your hooker heels in the morning and you’re good to go!

This results in millions of women who can’t walk fast clogging the arteries of Santiago sidewalks.

That, in turn, results in me going crazy.

I often resort to walking in the actual street, preferring to dodge cars and micros (buses) than dodge this strange breed of snail people. When I’m in enjoyable happy places like forests and the beach, I’m happy to slow down and enjoy the scenery. But, when I’m on the polluted streets of Santiago, all I want to do is get from point A to point B and run my errands as quickly as I can. But, I’ve learned that in this country, getting anything done quickly, including just walking down the street, is nearly impossible!

View Comments

  • Ruthie
    I LOVE THIS!


    Now that I'm back in the states I bask in the glory of fast walkers and staying to the right when using stairs...
  • Shannon
    Ugh!! I was walking in the metro today, and Ro walked around these two girls and I was about to follow and got cut of my a girl walking at the same pace as the one in front of her! SERIOUSLY!! It is sooo like driving on the freeway and a semi driving 1 mile per hour passes another!!! As for the high heels, I totally walk around and can spot anyone that bought the heels and wore them without every walking around in their houses first. I always point them out to Ro, but he doesn't see it I guess. How can you not see someone walking like they have a stick up their butt because of their heels. Some of them just don't know how to walk in them.
    I myself stick to regular old tennis shoes. And luckily Ro is the same height as me to I will never have to wear heels in my wedding!! hahah
  • Christy
    Oh I feel your pain. I'm a speed walker myself, even though I still find the occasional faster person that I end up having to try and keep up with.
  • Raybelles
    Buggered up my comment, so here goes again:


    New York and London both, without the tourists taking photos of every paving stone, are THE BEST FASTWALKING CITIES I'VE YET TO ENCOUNTER. I imagine Tokyo is the same - must go and find out...



    As well as being a complete and utter road-walker myself, I found that in Chile, they made the width of the pavements between the trees and the edge the perfect size for a pushchair (buggy/stroller hahaha), so my speedwalking didn't have to slow a millibit even with a baby.





    And to show my devotion to the NO DILLY DALLYING THANK YOU VERY MUCH cause, I'm a member of the Facebook group 'I secretly want to punch slow walking people in the back of the head'. I feel your membership is pending....
  • Ordinary Girl
    I know how you feel. I often find myself shuffling behind people, wishing they'd hurry up. I feel rude though if they notice I'm trying to hurry them up, so I try to be patient, especially if it's someone who is elderly.


    I wish the US embraced some of the European etiquette like slower traffic in one lane, faster in the other for foot traffic.
  • the Bag Lady
    The Bag lady walks fast on pavement and even ground, but has to slow down out in the pasture where the ground is uneven.
    The Cowboy can really cover ground out in the pasture (the Bag Lady usually falls behind, picking her way around all the obstacles), but you take that boy to the city and he starts the snail-crawl. What's with that?
  • Carina
    Hi, I just stumbled upon your blog, and I like reading it because I have been to Chile a few times and really wanted to live there, but it never worked out. Anyway, I remember our first trip to Chile me and some friends thought we could do some cheap shopping...and trying to buy jeans but finding it impossible to find jeans that weren't skin-tight-low-cut. The lady at the store was gesturing with her hands how it's good for jeans to be really tight around your butt...and we were like...yeah...thanks but not thanks. I like your stories.
  • Bluestreak
    Admittedly heels are stupid, especially combined with cobblestone, which is something I put my poor feet through on my way to work each day. Still trying to figure out why.


    As to the snail paced walking, heels or no heels, that must be something latino in general cuz i get SO damn frustrated with it over here. Come on people! MOVE!
  • Brenda
    Heels rule here, I am an oddball in my flats. Can't figure out how they walk in heels on the cobblestone streets but they do and not slowly either.
  • Anonymous
    I hate walking in heels. It's ridiculous and definitely too slow. I can't imagine a whole city (or half of it) trying to do that.


    Jayna
  • Lori - Blondie in Brazil
    Ha, ha! You crack me up. Things move at a faster pace here, but people have this way of walking out in front of you all the time and not caring to notice. I've almost run people over many a time.


    Oh, the heels are all over here to. I honestly don't know how women stand it. I watch some of them and you can honestly tell they are in pain because of the the way they walk. Luckily, though, the flats have caught on here so that is encouraging.



    I love the clubwear as officewear! Same goes for here. Whoa!! is a word I use (or think) often when I'm walking down the street.
  • socióblogo
    snails that just won't walk on the right side of the stairs.
  • Fned
    haha, I'm like you, I'm always walking at a brisk pace... some people call me "speedy gonzalez" at the office because I'm always rushing one way or another, high heels or no high heels.


    The thing is, when I'm walking towards a destination I just WANT TO GET THERE not linger on while the world passes me by.



    I have another theory though: it is well known that Mexicans are genetically incapable of being on time. It's in our DNA to be unpunctual to any and every event/meeting/encounter, etc. I'm always rushing around because more times than not I'm running late and I guess my American genes kick in and make me TRY to at least be on time... perhaps Mexicans walk slow simply because since they already know they're going to be late... why rush it?



    Maybe it's not only a Mexican thing... are Chileans reputed for being punctual?



    Fned.
  • j4ur14
    should go to Temuco, Valdivia, Chiloé... you'll write again about this theme!!
  • That girl
    You know what I remember from living in Mexico? Not only does everyone walk slow, but they do EVERYTHIN slow, from the cashier at the bank, to the grocery store line up that is barely moving...argg.


    It used to drive me bonkers.
  • Kristen
    Dude, you and my husband need to hang out. He walks SOOOO fast. I mean, I walk at a pretty decent speed, or at least I thought I did, but he blows me out of the water. Granted, he's 6'2, and his legs are wicked long, but he's always ending up miles ahead of everyone, too. Oh! And when he's in charge at a theme park or something? You'd better keep up or you can just hang out at the teacups all day. You know, things to do! Places to see! Sweet jebus, man.
  • Reb
    Oh, I walk like you do! Even now that I'm fat and can't breathe, I'm puffing along as fast as I can. I can understand your frustration! I even saunter faster than my friends.


    As for the club wear to work, well, I worked during the '80's, need I say more?
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